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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28661028">Bittersweet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AriadneKurosaki/pseuds/AriadneKurosaki'>AriadneKurosaki</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Deathberry Family [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bleach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Childbirth, F/M, HitsuKarin sprinkles, Implied Kiyone/Sentarou, Pregnancy, Tumblr Prompt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:02:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,421</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28661028</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AriadneKurosaki/pseuds/AriadneKurosaki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rukia and Ichigo find out that she's pregnant again almost fifteen years after the birth of their daughter, and it's a happy surprise at the perfect time. Soul Society is at peace, the division they lead is thriving, and Sumiye is old enough to help with the baby. </p>
<p>When the year - and Rukia's pregnancy - take a rough turn, however, all they can do is hold on tight.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kuchiki Rukia/Kurosaki Ichigo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Deathberry Family [13]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891189</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Bittersweet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Prompt: IchiRuki and their second pregnancy, from an anonymous Tumblr user.</p>
<p>Chronologically, this story takes place before Home for Christmas.</p>
<p>CW: This fic depicts Rukia experiencing a pregnancy with complications; if you need more detail before choosing whether to read this fic, please check the end notes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After her first pregnancy, Rukia didn’t expect to get pregnant again - and she didn’t. After a number of years she and Ichigo quietly accepted that Sumiye would be their only child and focused on raising her, on running their division, and on each other. It was a good life, one that had been beyond all of her wildest dreams when she’d been a shinigami in the academy so many years ago.</p>
<p>So, when she passed out in her husband’s arms during a monthly visit to the children’s home in Inuzuri, Rukia was more embarrassed than concerned, and blamed it on the heat. When she spent the next week retching in her office, she blamed it on a case of food poisoning.</p>
<p>Then she passed out in her office in the middle of the day, and her lieutenant – and doting, <em>worried </em>husband – carried her to the Fourth Division and set her down in front of Captain Kotetsu. “I’m fine,” Rukia muttered, still embarrassed by the fact that she’d been carted over like some damsel in distress.</p>
<p>“Then you won’t mind having Isane give you a once-over,” Ichigo snapped back, arms crossed stubbornly. “This is the second time she’s passed out in two weeks, and she’s been vomiting,” he told Isane in a lower voice.</p>
<p>Isane raised an eyebrow at Rukia. “Why don’t we set your husband’s mind at ease?” she coaxed. “It will just take a few minutes, Rukia.”</p>
<p>She grumbled, but Rukia allowed Isane to lead her to an exam room. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”</p>
<p>Ichigo trailed behind, but at Isane’s look he held up his hands and leaned against the wall. “I know, I know, I’ll stay outside,” he said with a little smirk.</p>
<p>Inside the exam room, Isane waited for Rukia with her back turned so that the other woman could trade her haori and shihakusho for a thin yukata. She performed her examination quietly and efficiently, using kido and other, more traditional tools. “Let me call your husband in,” she said, as Rukia’s eyebrows rose into her hairline.</p>
<p>Ichigo stepped through the door that Isane opened with a worried expression, and his hand found Rukia’s without conscious thought. “Is everything okay?” he demanded.</p>
<p>Isane shut the door to give them some privacy, and when she turned to them, she was all smiles. “You’re in perfectly good health, Rukia,” she announced.</p>
<p>“I <em>told </em>you,” Rukia crowed.</p>
<p>And then Isane added, “You’re simply expecting another baby,” and both Rukia and her husband stared at her.</p>
<p>“But – it’s been <em>almost fifteen years</em>,” Ichigo finally stammered.</p>
<p>“And we never used any kind of contraceptive,” Rukia added. “I just…never got pregnant.” Ichigo’s hand squeezed hers gently.</p>
<p>Isane patted Rukia’s arm gently. “I know, but we never found anything <em>wrong</em>. Perhaps your body was just waiting for the right time. After all, Sumiye is old enough to help with a little brother or sister, things have been peaceful for more than twenty years, and your division is strong.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Ichigo said softly, and leaned down to press a kiss to Rukia’s temple. “Maybe it’s just the right time.”</p>
<p>“Well. Since it’s been a while, let me give you some information and some vitamins,” Isane said briskly. “And we’ll schedule you for regular check-ups.” Then she eyed them both. “You’ll be going on reduced duty until after the baby is born. <em>No </em>combat,” she admonished.</p>
<p>Ichigo nodded solemnly. “We’ll talk about how to rearrange the training schedules for the division,” he agreed.</p>
<p>Rukia grumbled under her breath but acquiesced with a sigh. “If this is anything like when I was pregnant with Sumiye, I’ll be too big for combat anyway by my sixth month.”</p>
<p>“Good! We’ll leave you to get dressed, then, and I’ll give Ichigo everything you need,” Isane said cheerfully.</p>
<p>They left the division arm in arm, and though Rukia protested, she let Ichigo carry her in <em>shunpo</em> back to their home. He waited until they were standing on the engawa to press his lips to hers. “I love you,” he whispered, as Rukia cuddled closer and her lips curved into a smile against his.</p>
<p>“I love you too. I didn’t think I’d get pregnant again, but I’m so happy,” she murmured back. Their reiryoku hummed and blended together contentedly, and Rukia leaned up to kiss him again.</p>
<hr/>
<p>At first it was a normal pregnancy. Rukia grumbled about her shihakusho being too small and dug out her old maternity uniforms from storage. Ichigo tasked Sentarou with taking on more of the patrols. They told Sumiye, who grumbled a little at no longer being the only child but beamed the first time she felt the baby kick against her hand.</p>
<p>But then Sentarou was severely injured – and would have died except for the quick action of an unseated division member – turning back a hollow incursion. Rukia took on additional training sessions with the division, and Ichigo shuffled patrol responsibilities among the other officers.</p>
<p>A week later, twenty-seven weeks into the pregnancy, Rukia woke in the middle of the night, head throbbing and her stomach cramping with pain. Her reiatsu spiked and Ichigo stirred, rolling over in bed and asking roughly, “What’s wrong?” as he pressed a light kiss to her shoulder.</p>
<p>“Hurts,” she gasped out, and Ichigo woke up fully.</p>
<p>“Where?” He pressed a hand to the small of her back and rubbed gently. “I can get the body pillow out of the closet if it’s your back.”</p>
<p>“No, it’s – my head, and my stomach hurts, up high,” Rukia explained, and groaned faintly. The hand on her back went still.</p>
<p>“Let me contact the Fourth,” Ichigo said quickly. He summoned a hell butterfly with a thought and sent a message winging its way to the other division. “Do you have any cramping low in your stomach?” he asked.</p>
<p>“No,” she moaned faintly, and rubbed her temples.</p>
<p>A message came back from the Fourth quickly: <em>Bring Captain Kuchiki to the relief station as soon as possible. </em>Ichigo dismissed the butterfly and rolled out of bed to find a yukata for himself and a robe for Rukia. “Here, I’ll carry you,” he offered, and Rukia didn’t even protest, just laid her head against his chest and let him flash-step, as fast as he could, across the Seireitei.</p>
<p>Hanatarou and Kiyone were waiting for them, and Ichigo held Rukia’s hand tightly as Kiyone examined her and Hanatarou took samples for testing.</p>
<p>“We’ll figure out what’s going on and get you fixed right up,” Kiyone promised as Hanatarou smiled reassuringly on his way out of the exam room. She tidied up the space and washed her hands as Ichigo helped Rukia back into her robe.</p>
<p>“How’s Sentarou?” he asked while they were waiting. “I stopped by this morning, but he was asleep.”</p>
<p>Kiyone’s eyes welled up, but she shook herself and managed a smile. “He’s getting better slowly. There’s only so much kido can do so quickly, so we still have him on strong pain medication most of the time.”</p>
<p>Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a glance. “Are <em>you</em> okay, Kiyone?” Rukia asked gently. “I know you argued a lot when you were our co-third seat, but…”</p>
<p>The Fourth Division Lieutenant let out a watery laugh. “It turns out we like each other a lot better when we’re not in the same division,” she said. “I’ll be glad when he’s better.”</p>
<p>Hanatarou slipped back into the room and handed a sheet of paper to Kiyone, who sighed. “Oh, Rukia,” she said gently. “You have preeclampsia. We’ll have to take supportive measures if you want to continue the pregnancy.”</p>
<p>Tears pricked at her eyes and Rukia shut them quickly as her head throbbed even more painfully, this time with her effort to suppress her tears. Ichigo bent over her, reiatsu blanketing her, and when she opened her eyes again they met his, soft and understanding. She knew without his saying a word what they both wanted. “We do,” she said as Kiyone used a healing kido to ease her headache. “Tell us what we need to do.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>The answer was simple and frustrating: a leave of absence for the remainder of Rukia’s pregnancy and modified bed rest. Rukia wasn’t allowed to do anything more strenuous with her zanpakutō than sit jinzen. And she wasn’t allowed to do anything more strenuous in general than the light exercises that Kiyone prescribed.</p>
<p>With Sumiye at the academy and Ichigo managing their division, Rukia was alone much of the time, and she hated it.</p>
<p>But worse even than having to lie in bed or sit quietly for so many hours of the day was the feeling that she was neglecting her division. “Can’t I even do <em>paperwork?</em>” Rukia demanded at the end of the first week as Ichigo sat behind her on their bed and rubbed her back.</p>
<p>“That bored, huh?” he asked, and pressed a kiss against the back of her neck. His hair was getting long again, and it brushed against her shoulders when he leaned in close. “You’re supposed to be on a leave of absence and <em>resting</em>.”</p>
<p>Rukia heaved a sigh and pressed back against his hand. “Get me a lap desk, then, and I’ll do it in bed,” she demanded. “You can even come sit with me, instead of staying late in the barracks.”</p>
<p>His hand squeezed her shoulder lightly. “Okay,” Ichigo agreed. He pressed another kiss to her skin, at the join of her shoulder and neck. “Do you want Yuzu or Karin to stay with us for a few weeks?” he asked. “I know it’s hard being alone during the day.”</p>
<p>She leaned her head back against his shoulder. “Do you think Karin can get the time off? Yuzu has the kids. You know Tadeko, he’s sweet but an absentee professor.”</p>
<p>“Absent-minded professor,” Ichigo corrected with a soft laugh. “And I’ll get a message to Karin through Urahara in the morning.”</p>
<p>The next week brought Karin through a senkaimon, grinning and laden with Yuzu’s cooking and an entire backpack full of manga to entertain her sister-in-law. And if suddenly Captain Hitsugaya came to pay his respects and check on Rukia more than she expected, well – Hitsugaya was much closer in age to her than any of their colleagues.</p>
<p>But Rukia’s thirty-fifth week of pregnancy brought worse news; she could feel it in the air, in the form of broken reiatsu and anguish that made her skin crawl. Their home on the Kuchiki estate was removed enough from the Seireitei proper that none of the servants knew what was happening. She paced along the engawa until her belly – enormous compared with the rest of her – ached as she waited for Ichigo to return; she was certain of this much, at least: her husband and daughter were both safe.</p>
<p>A hell butterfly brought the message that the academy was in lockdown and Sumiye would be staying overnight. Ichigo stepped into their home after the moon was fully risen in the sky, shihakusho ripped and bandages wrapped around one arm from shoulder to wrist. Worse though were his eyes, shadowed and haunted as he fell to the bed next to her and pulled her tight against him. One hand rested possessively on her belly.</p>
<p>He didn’t speak until Rukia asked softly, “What happened?”</p>
<p>“Iba and Nishimura are dead,” Ichigo said without preamble and she turned, shocked, in his arms. He hadn’t bathed; he smelled of sweat and blood. But at least he was <em>here</em>, wrapped around her.</p>
<p>“<em>Both</em> of them?” Rukia asked in a horrified whisper. “How? And how did you get injured?”</p>
<p>Ichigo buried his face in her shoulder. “There was an incursion from within the dangai,” he said roughly. “It’s that bastard Kurotsuchi’s fault. Should have let Ishida shoot an arrow through his head.” His reiatsu seethed but hers softened it; she could hear Shirayuki inside her, murmuring her concern. Further <em>away</em>, Rukia thought she could hear Zangetsu as well, as angry as his king.</p>
<p>“Ichigo,” Rukia cautioned.</p>
<p>“Well we should have,” he growled. “It was one of his damned experiments. And what came out – they weren’t hollows, Rukia. They were…monsters, armored and <em>smart</em>. It’s not just Iba and Nishimura; the Seventh lost a <em>lot</em> of the unseated ranks, too. We killed everything that came through the breach, but half the divisions lost people today.”</p>
<p>Her heart pounded in her chest and Shirayuki cried out a warning as Ichigo’s reiatsu pressed, blanket-like, to calm her. “And our division?” Rukia asked in a strangled whisper.</p>
<p>“Injured but intact,” Ichigo reported. “Kiyone and Hanatarou patched us all up; we might have to make them honorary members of the Thirteenth,” he joked, though his voice was still rough and angry.</p>
<p>“Good,” she whispered, and stroked her hand through Ichigo’s hair until he fell into an uneasy sleep beside her. Even without sitting jinzen, Rukia could tell that Zangetsu had crossed into <em>her</em> inner world, seeking out Shirayuki.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Despite being on bed rest, Rukia only made it to thirty-seven weeks. Once more she woke in the middle of the night, reiatsu laden with her pain.</p>
<p>“Rukia?” Ichigo was already grabbing for a yukata and pulling it on. “I’ll send a hell butterfly.” But then he stopped, because Rukia – Rukia was staring blankly even as her body <em>shook</em> and jerked, violently, in their bed. “Shit, <em>Rukia</em>!”</p>
<p>He grabbed for her to roll her on her side and glanced at the clock on their nightstand.</p>
<p>“I-Ichigo?” Her voice sounded thin and weak, and Rukia felt like she was trying to swim through oil. Shirayuki called a warning and she swore she could hear Zangetsu yelling, too.</p>
<p>“Almost four minutes. I’m taking you to the Fourth, just hold on,” Ichigo ordered, a thread of panic in his voice. Things moved dreamlike and slow as he wrapped her in a blanket and then in his arms. Then they were on the engawa, his footsteps thudding on the wood. “Karin! Rukia’s had a seizure. Look after Sumiye, I’ll send someone over as soon as I know anything.”</p>
<p>Then they were moving again, in Ichigo’s fastest flash-step. She shivered with a sudden chill and Ichigo clutched her tighter. Rukia surfaced again when they came to a stop and Ichigo yelled for help; members of the Fourth scrambled toward them and in less than a minute Isane was there, soothing kido pouring from her fingertips.</p>
<p>“Eclampsia,” the other captain pronounced. “We have to get the baby out <em>now</em>; we can’t wait any longer.”</p>
<p>“But – she’s almost five weeks early,” Ichigo stammered.</p>
<p>“This way.” She was being carried again, down a hallway filled with the prickle of kido and the smell of antiseptic. Warm hands set her down gently on a bed with a too-thin mattress, and Rukia groaned faintly, opening her eyes to see Ichigo looking at her worriedly.</p>
<p>It was Isane who spoke, though. “Rukia, you have eclampsia, and Ichigo tells me you had a seizure. We need to help you have your baby <em>now</em>. We’re going to take good care of you both, I promise.”</p>
<p>“But it’s—”</p>
<p>“It’s early, I know,” Isane agreed. “I’m going to examine you now, and that will determine what we do next.”</p>
<p>The examination was gentle and quick, but Isane’s mouth was set in a firm line. “It will have to be a C-section.”</p>
<p>A bolt of ice-cold fear shot down Rukia’s spine, and her hand clenched in Ichigo’s larger one. But she nodded her agreement.</p>
<p>“We’ll get everything set up. Kiyone will help you scrub up, Ichigo, before we bring you back in.”</p>
<p>Though his face was set in a scowl, Ichigo pressed his lips to Rukia’s temple. “Fine,” he agreed.</p>
<p>While they wheeled Rukia away Ichigo sent a hell butterfly to Byakuya to let him know what was happening, with instructions to send a messenger to Karin and Sumiye as well. Then he let Kiyone lead him into another room where he scrubbed his hands and arms, and pulled a white robe over his yukata, followed by a head covering and face mask.</p>
<p>The room Kiyone led him to was already set up when they got there, and Rukia was lying on a table, a fabric curtain of sorts draped over her like a shield. Ichigo didn’t need to be told to hurry to her side; she was wide-eyed and stiff as she looked up at him.</p>
<p>“Stay,” Rukia croaked at Ichigo, and he wrapped a hand around hers.</p>
<p>“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, and leaned down to press a light kiss against her lips.</p>
<p>Though the kido and pain medication they used was supposed to help, as Isane and her team worked on the other side of the curtain Rukia cried out as pain wracked through her and clutched Ichigo’s hand. Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes down her temples, and Ichigo gently wiped them away, but he glared over the curtain.</p>
<p>“Can’t you give her something more for the pain?” he demanded of Kiyone, who frowned and strengthened her kido.</p>
<p>“This is worse than Aaroniero,” Rukia rasped at him, and grimaced. The pain eased after a long a moment, and Rukia breathed out slowly, muscles relaxing back against the table. Her hair was damp with sweat and tears left salty tracks as they rolled down her skin and into her hairline.</p>
<p>It couldn’t have been that long, but for her it felt like hours until they heard the cry of a baby, strong and demanding, in the room.</p>
<p>“A son!” Isane exclaimed proudly, and this time she was ready with a reiatsu limiter that she stuck on his chest immediately. “A <em>strong</em> son.”</p>
<p>Ichigo slumped in relief but kept his focus on Rukia until Kiyone pushed him into a chair and handed their new baby to him, clean and wrapped snugly in soft, white fabric. Isane and her team were still working on the other side of the curtain, but Rukia reached weakly for their son and held him as Ichigo touched his forehead to hers. “I love you,” he whispered. “I love you so much.”</p>
<p>Rukia closed her eyes and nuzzled against him, though she gritted her teeth against another wave of pain. “I love you too.”</p>
<p>Kiyone interrupted them all too soon to take the baby away again. “We need to get him into a bed with kido support,” she explained as Rukia protested with a wordless cry. “His lungs need the help.”</p>
<p>They both stared worriedly, hands twined together, as their friend carried their baby away again.</p>
<p>Hanatarou and Isane succeeded in chasing Ichigo out of the operating room – and she felt <em>cold</em>, all of a sudden.</p>
<p>“Hanatarou!”</p>
<p>“I know.”</p>
<p>Her eyes drifted shut.</p>
<p>When Rukia woke again, she was in a much softer bed and their son was in a bassinet that practically glowed with kido. Ichigo in a chair but he was slumped with his head and arms resting on her bed, hand twined with hers. She squeezed it, and he jolted awake and stared, wide-eyed, at her.</p>
<p>“Rukia,” he whispered, and stumbled out of the chair so he could press a kiss first to her lips and then to her forehead. “I was so worried.”</p>
<p>“What happened?” she asked weakly.</p>
<p>“You started hemorrhaging,” Ichigo mumbled against her skin. “Isane’s team got things under control, but you scared the hell out of all of us.”</p>
<p>Her fingers rose and twined into his hair, stroking gently. “Sorry,” she said softly.</p>
<p>“Don’t apologize. I’m just glad you’re okay.”</p>
<p>Rukia shifted in the bed and winced. “It hurts,” she complained softly.</p>
<p>Ichigo’s hands glowed softly with kido and he hovered them over her until the grimace on her face eased – and was replaced with shock. “Hanatarou taught me,” he explained shyly. “He was pretty surprised that I got the hang of it.”</p>
<p>“Well it only took you almost thirty years,” Rukia teased.</p>
<p>They rested together for a time, hands twining, and then Rukia said, “We haven’t named our son yet.”</p>
<p>“I was waiting for you to wake up.” Ichigo stroked a hand through her hair and smiled. “Are you still okay with what we talked about last month?”</p>
<p>“Masaaki,” Rukia whispered in reply, and they turned to look at their sleeping son through the kido barrier. When Ichigo pressed another kiss to her temple, she smiled tiredly and leaned against him.</p>
<p>“I’m really glad you’re okay,” he said softly. Ichigo could feel Sumiye and Byakuya’s reiatsu getting closer, and knew they’d have company soon, but for another moment he held his wife close and breathed out a sigh of utter relief.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Additional content notes: During this fic, Rukia suffers from preeclampsia and then eclampsia, leading to a caesarean section; she experiences an additional complication just after the surgery. The caesarean is not graphically described.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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